Kuroba and Haiba

The area outside the gym had completely darkened, but inside, the lights were still blazing. This was because there was one last practice match scheduled for today, with Ikegawa High School facing off against Nekoma High School.

"In the last game, they were able to keep up with my quick attacks in the latter half. If it weren't for Kuroba-senpai, my offense would definitely have been blocked. It was like that with Date Tech before, Seijoh too, and now Inuoka from Nekoma. It's true that a freak quick attack can't always be effective against strong opponents."

"Nice receive, Yaku-senpai!"

A familiar voice called out. Hinata turned his head and saw Inuoka from Nekoma, the one he had just mentioned. Inuoka wasn't playing on the court at the moment.

"Huh? Inuoka isn't playing?"

During Karasuno's previous match against Nekoma, Inuoka had performed exceptionally well, managing to block Hinata's quick attacks in the latter half. The fact that he wasn't playing now struck Hinata as very strange.

Then, Hinata saw the person who had taken Inuoka's place on the court.

A gray-haired guy, comparable to Hayato, leaped up on the court and slammed the ball down like a whip, scoring a point.

"Wow, he's amazing. Who is he?"

"Haiba Lev. He's over 194 cm tall. Well, I don't know much else. What do you think, doesn't he look impressive?"

Hayato's voice came from above Hinata's head. At some point, he had walked over and casually rested his arm on Hinata's head, explaining. Hayato had specifically asked the Nekoma players about Lev's name during the break. The Nekoma players understood Hayato's curiosity, given his height; it was only natural for people to be curious.

"Whoa, he's so tall! Taller than you, Kuroba-senpai. Darn it, I'm so jealous. I wish he'd share some of his height with me."

Hinata, who could get along with anyone, didn't resist Hayato's action. Maintaining that pose, he watched Haiba Lev play.

Amidst the loud "Good work, everyone" from Nekoma's captain, Kuroo, the host team, the day's training concluded.

After dinner, Hinata joined the Nekoma team's huddle and chatted with Inuoka and Nekoma's setter, Kozume Kenma, his good friend. During their conversation, he learned about Lev's background. Kenma first praised Lev's strengths but then pointed out his weaknesses: his receives and serves were terrible, even worse than Hinata's. Hinata, feeling wronged, asked if his standard for "terrible" was him.

"Because your skills are terrible. No offense," Kenma replied, crushing Hinata's spirit once again.

"Ah, but your new guy, that Ace named Kuroba, he's really tricky. I can't handle him."

"Heh heh, Kuroba-senpai is amazing, right? Especially his serves. I couldn't even receive them during our team's practice match. They hurt my arm so much~"

Hearing Kenma praise Hayato, Hinata felt particularly proud. After spending time together, Hinata had become a total fanboy of Hayato. He was tall, skilled, kind, and most importantly, he often taught Hinata various techniques. It was no wonder such a great senpai was so well-liked.

"Speaking of which, our teams both have a 'Haiba' and a 'Kuroba.' We're so fated," Inuoka suddenly said, reminded of the names when they brought up Hayato.

"About names, Coach Ukai also said that Hayato joining Karasuno might be fate. Aren't crows black-feathered? It really suits our team," Hinata added.

As the three of them chatted, Yaku-senpai, who had just walked in, saw the scene and was so moved that he wiped a tear from his eye, saying with deep emotion, "Kenma, who's usually quiet and shy, is actually chatting with people."

By the restroom entrance, Hinata once again encountered a "restroom miracle" and bumped into Haiba Lev. He learned that Lev was mixed-race and nervously wondered how to greet him in Russian.

"Karasuno's number 10."

"Russian?"

"Ah, sorry. I don't speak Russian. I grew up here."

"I see. Ah, Kuroba-senpai said you're 194 cm tall. That's so tall! By the way, I'm Hinata Shoyo, first year."

"I'm Haiba Lev, also first year. That Kuroba-senpai you mentioned, is he number 13, the one about my height?"

"Oh! You know Kuroba-senpai too?"

"Of course. He scored a lot of points in the sets he played today. He truly is an ace player."

Hinata heard the term "ace player" and tilted his head, looking at Lev.

"Kuroba-senpai isn't the ace yet. He's a second-year. He transferred to Karasuno recently and only joined the volleyball club not too long ago."

"What? Someone that amazing isn't the ace? Then who is your ace?"

"Number 3, the third-year Azumane Asahi-senpai."

"Ah~ that one with the beard who looks really intimidating. Him. Hmm~"

Lev crossed his arms, as if contemplating how to describe his impression of Asahi.

"That senpai's skills aren't bad, but, how should I put it... compared to Kuroba-senpai, he lacks presence. He doesn't have that absolute confidence and obsession with the ball that an ace should have."

In fact, Lev was completely right. During this training camp, Asahi was supposed to solidify his confidence and presence as an ace. However, Hayato's arrival had directly interrupted his evolution. Whether this was good or bad for Karasuno was hard to judge at this point.

"Asahi-senpai is also very strong, but what you said is... not wrong..."

Hinata wanted to argue, but in the end, he silently agreed with Lev's assessment.

"But, looking at you up close, I feel like you've gotten even shorter."

Looking down at Hinata, Lev expressed his honest opinion, which immediately made Hinata's fur stand on end.

"What did you say! You jerk."

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. But you can jump that high with just one leap, right? I saw it during the game."

Lev spread his palm flat, measuring to the level of his forehead, and continued, "Too bad I can jump even higher."

Provoked by these words, Hinata jumped on the spot, but his head hit the doorframe. In pain, he immediately clutched his head and crouched down.

"Well then, as long as I reach the peak before you, that should be enough, right?"

Hearing Hinata say that, Haiba felt a surge of competitiveness.

"I'll definitely be the first to break through your quick attacks tomorrow. Because I'm Nekoma's ace."

As he said this, Haiba's gaze drifted a little.

"If I said that, Mōko-senpai would get really angry. He says people who can't even defend properly don't deserve to be called an ace."

"Aren't you a wing spiker like me? Shouldn't the ace usually be the main attacker?"

"Does it have to do with position? Whoever scores the most points is the ace, right? Well then, I'm off. I'm really looking forward to our match tomorrow."

Patting Hinata on the shoulder, Haiba walked away alone without waiting for a reply.

"Whoever scores the most points is the ace, huh."

Hinata looked at his own palm and muttered to himself.

After a night of intense effort, the players, having recovered their stamina, began a new day of training after breakfast. Karasuno was scheduled to start in the second match, and everyone was doing warm-up exercises while waiting for the first match to end.

"Karasuno's strength has improved significantly since that newcomer joined."

Watching Hayato, who was currently warming up, the Nekoma High School team manager chatted with Coach Nekomata beside him.

"Indeed. His skills are comparable to an ace, his mindset, and his outstanding leadership. Karasuno has found a formidable raptor. Although he hasn't reached his peak condition yet, he's already a huge threat. Heh heh, this year's Spring High is going to be interesting."